Thompson Selected as Princeton's Nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year

A standout in the classroom and on the ice, Claire Thompson '20 has been selected as Princeton's nominee for the NCAA's Woman of the Year Award.

The NCAA received nominations from 605 schools across the three divisions for the honor, including 259 from Division I. In the next step of the process, the Ivy League will choose up to two nominees from its schools to advance forward in consideration, a choice set to be made in mid-August. From there, an NCAA committee will select 30 nominees to advance, 10 from each division, before announcing nine finalists, three from each division. The final NCAA Woman of the Year award winner will be announced in the fall.

"I would like to thank my family, teammates, friends, coaches and support staff. I wouldn't have been able to achieve this without their unconditional love and support," Thompson said upon the announcement as Princeton's nominee.

Thompson was named to the ECAC All-Academic Team in each of her first three seasons, with the 2019-20 team still to be announced, and she was twice named an AHCA All-America Scholar, also with the 2020 award still to be announced. She was twice named Academic All-Ivy, an honor conferred on 10 student-athletes from each school in each of the fall, winter and spring seasons, in 2019 and 2020. She was Princeton's 2020 selection for the ECAC's Mandi Schwartz Student-Athlete of the Year Award.

"Our entire program is thrilled that Claire is being recognized for her outstanding character," Princeton coach Cara Morey said. "She is a fantastic leader who excels on the ice and in the classroom. Claire is a great representative of Princeton women's ice hockey and is very deserving of this recognition as our school's Woman of the Year nominee."

On the ice, she helped Princeton to two NCAA tournaments, the 2019 Ivy League title, and the 2020 ECAC tournament championship, and will graduate as Princeton's fifth-leading all-time scorer among defensemen, with 87. She was a three-time All-ECAC honoree, including a first-teamer in 2019 and a 2020 ECAC all-tournament team member, and she was a three-time All-Ivy League pick, including first team in 2019. Thompson was selected for Canada's team at the 2020 IIHF World Women's Championships, though the event was canceled due to COVID-19.

An ecology and evolutionary biology major who graduated with departmental high honors, Thompson discussed in her personal statement as part of the nomination how her academic work can lead to a societal impact and how her athletic competition has helped her both athletically and academically.

"The persistent work required to perform at an elite level in athletics, has translated to both a successful athletic and academic career thus far," Thompson said in the statement. "I believe that the journey that led me to this point has shaped my character and will guide me well through the future. My personal academic research exploring the determinants and effects of vaccine hesitancy has given me the confidence to apply my skills to address present issues."

Thompson's senior thesis involved creating a computer program to simulate a 2019 measles outbreak among a population in New York, examining the outcomes of alternative courses of action. Her work earned her a nomination to the scientific honors research society Sigma Xi, and she is currently in the process of publishing my research.

"As a result of this experience, I feel empowered to continue to produce meaningful work that can contribute positively to solving public health problems," Thompson said in the statement.

Among Thompson's community service activities while on campus were working with Princeton Academic Advising and Princeton's Health Professions Advising, and she also spent time as a hospital volunteer.

Thompson plans on attending medical school, and she will continue training with an eye on competing for Canada in the 2022 Olympic Games while also continuing research on infectious disease in society.

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